When Neva discovers she is pregnant her parents decide to send her to a home for unwed teenage mothers. Each girl is assigned the name of a flower, thus Neva becomes Fern. Upon entering the home, Fern meets a garden of teenaged girls with bulbous, bulging bellies like hers. Striking up friendships with Rose, Zinnea and Holly, a 14 year old who reveals a devastating story of abuse to her new friends. Fern, Rose, and Zinnea know they can't allow Holly and her baby to go home to her abuser. Asking the librarian of the bookmobile, who also happens to be a witch, they discover that together they can make things happen, through magic. And this is how they are going to help Holly. However, asking for things comes with a price, and Fern needs to pay. Chaos ensues, babies are born and taken away, and the time has come to pay.

The first 60% of this book was mundane to me. It was difficult to keep up with it because simply nothing was happening. At 60% it is like a light switch was turned on and I was absolutely enthralled in the story. It was like a lifeless thing suddenly and excitedly came to life before my eyes, I couldn't look away or put the book down! But then it dropped off again and I didn't quite "get" the ending. It felt a bit misplaced, the girls calling themselves witches, when they literally turned their noses up at the witches in the first place. Something about that doesn't sit right with me.

An enthralling read - the story was a good build of developing the characters (the wayward girls) up to the witchcraft and the reasons they decided to turn in that direction. You really come to understand the girls, feel for them and all that they have been through. And you definitely grow to hate the people in charge (and the families of the girls). I think what I’m trying to say here is Hendrix has done a masterful job of character development. A really well-written, slow burn novel that is at times sad and maddening and terrifying.

This was an interesting read. The way it reads entirely true crime with such witchy vibes was captivating. I wanted to know more of the girls and what come of them.

2025 just started and I'm not really sure what could top this title. Let's start with.. Grady Hendrix, clearly, doesn't just hear, but listens.
As a female - I will forever appreciate Witchcraft for Wayward Girls. If I happen to have girls - this will be on their reading list one day. The depth of understanding of what it's like to be a woman is beyond what I thought was possible by a male author, so thank you for expanding my worldview.

Reading about the experiences of these young wayward girls was an emotional roller coaster which I didn't want to end. This book is full of raw emotion and, well.... life. For the first third of the title we're getting to know the plot, the characters, their thoughts and emotional growth and then the magic takes over. This book is probably not for the fainthearted. Grady has a beautiful and horrifying way of describing the grotesque, but the read itself is only horrifying because this happened to girls all over our country. I loved the incorporated old-school forms of witchcraft, it was a nice breath of fresh air after reading so much about the "modernized" versions of witches.

I haven't stopped suggesting this book, nor will I. Bravo!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy ahead of the release date.

If you love your horror with a side of nostalgic teenage angst, eerie supernatural happenings, and Grady Hendrix’s signature dark humor, this one is going to own you.

It’s got small-town secrets, old friendships that never quite healed, and a creeping sense of dread that builds until you’re questioning everything. Think The Craft meets Yellowjackets, but with Hendrix’s signature blend of psychological terror and sharp, biting wit.

TL;DR: If you love witchy horror, eerie coming-of-age stories, and books that make you nervous about turning off the lights, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is an absolute must-read.

I've only read a couple of Grady Hendrix's books so far, but was still excited to receive an advanced copy of Witchcraft for Wayward Girls.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is a narrative about young, unwed girls in the 70s who are pregnant and are sent to homes for pregnant girls by their parents - a way for their parents to avoid acknowledging the shame of their daughters being pregnant. It was an interesting narrative for Grady Hendrix to take on, one that could be considered risky and one that could have been done poorly, however Grady Hendrix successfully tackled the societal issues within this book. This book captures the way these girls are dismissed and let down by the systems in place to take their babies, but also by their families, churches, and communities. The reader feels the frustration of how powerless the girls are, the unfairness of the control others have taken over them. The way these feelings have been captured in this book make for a hard and uncomfortable read, but that is what makes it successful as well.

Overall the plot was enjoyable - the relationships between the girls being one of the highest strengths of the book. The pacing could have been a little quicker, as there were some slower points of the book that dragged a little, but for the most part it was pretty close to what it needed to be.

Overall, this book was heart wrenching, humorous, uncomfortable, and fun all mixed into one book.

Hendrix knows how to churn out a frightening, yet tender hearted novel. I do wish he would try and write something from a male's perspective, just once.

This story delves into the harsh realities of underage pregnancy in the 1970s and how society shunned young girls in these situations. When Fern becomes pregnant, her parents send her away to a home for unwed mothers, where she and dozens of others are hidden away, forced to give up their babies. Every aspect of their lives—what they eat, say, and do—is strictly controlled by the adults in charge. During her time there, Fern meets a librarian who gives her a book on witchcraft, introducing her to a world where, for the first time, she feels a sense of power. But as with all power, there is always a price to pay.

Overall thoughts:
I’m a little conflicted with this one—I think I was expecting more. While the premise intrigued me, the pacing felt slow, and at times, it seemed to drag. The plot was lacking, making certain sections feel drawn out. Fern’s character, in particular, tested my patience, and I didn’t see as much character growth as I had hoped for. That said, the author did an excellent job portraying the helplessness of these girls and the harsh societal consequences they faced. The strongest part of the book, for me, was the ending, which wrapped things up in a way that made the journey feel worthwhile.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is by far my favorite title by this author. My heart broke for the characters and I want to wrap them all up in a big hug. Teenagers should never have to make the decisions the characters in this book did. As a librarian, not a huge fan of the fact that one of the main “villains” was a librarian witch, but I think anyone reading this would understand the true evil in this book runs deeper than any one character.

WITCHCRAFT FOR WAYWARD GIRLS is Grady Hendrix's best novel so far. This is for several reasons. Sure, setting the story in a Pre-Roe and still segregated South helps with his messaging. There is just enough distance to comfortably declare that what happens is the past and things are better now. Yet, there is plenty of uncertainty today around women's rights, especially medical. This uncertainty creates a frisson of discomfort while reading.

To that, he layers on the fantastical elements of the story. He uses characters, one generation removed from enslavement and their strong belief system in Hoodooism, to build an atmosphere where it is difficult to separate fantasy and fiction, real and magic. Nothing of what the girls experience is implausible. If anything, you can logically explain every "otherworldly" scene in the book. But that setting, summer in the Deep South, living in an old plantation, a Mammy-like figure who is just as likely to smack you as help you but who firmly believes in magic, it all converges into a film that blurs the finest of details and makes the impossible possible.

If that weren't enough, Mr. Hendrix uses the real-life historical horrors of being unmarried and pregnant in the early seventies. While it is easy to say you understand the pressures women faced to remain "pure" and the depths to which society kept girls and women ignorant of simple biology. It is another thing entirely to see it happen over and over again, and that is just what Mr. Hendrix does.

It doesn't matter the age or the fact that the girl might have a serious boyfriend. Every girl is in that home because their family cannot bear the consequences of having an unwed pregnant daughter. It doesn't matter how a girl gets pregnant in WITCHCRAFT FOR WAYWARD GIRLS. There is no such thing as rape. Every girl got pregnant simply because they were wicked or bad or promiscuous or troubled or slutty. The levels of disgust you feel from Mr. Hendrix's words are beyond expectations.

Yet, for all those layers upon layers of the story he weaves into WITCHCRAFT FOR WAYWARD GIRLS, Mr. Hendrix's true magic lays in the mirror he holds up to the hypocrisy of a patriarchal, Christian, and righteous society. The only allies the girls have are each other and the one or two individuals they meet who do not conform to the patriarchal and Christian parts of that society. The girls face anger, disgust, condescension, fear, and a shit-ton of mansplaining almost every minute of every day, and therein lies the true horror of the story. It is not in the supernatural and scary parts of the story. It is in the fact that girls really did experience that smugness of religious "purity" and that we are one small step away from having to endure it all again.

I could go on to say how I loved how Mr. Hendrix played around with the narrator, sliding seamlessly from one point of view to another as the main character drifted into and around the action. I could say that the feelings Mr. Hendrix brings to the story are so vivid and so extreme that my stomach gets upset just thinking about certain scenes (SO. MUCH. ANGER. Deserved but still.) In the end, what makes WITCHCRAFT FOR WAYWARD GIRLS so impressive a story is that you could take away the witch stuff and it would still be a horror story. Because men have always been more vicious and crueler than any mythical beast, and they do so with smiles on their faces and benevolence in their hearts.

WITCHCRAFT FOR WAYWARD GIRLS was, for me, a novel that devoured me as much as I devoured it. The story took me in and spat me out, emotionally drained and terrified. Terrified of the past and what women went through simply to give birth, let alone if you were a teen mom-to-be. Petrified of a future that sees those sentiments, the ignorance, and the lack of agency arise again. Powerful. Masterful. WITCHCRAFT FOR WAYWARD GIRLS is a must-read for all.

Atmospheric and haunting, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls examines the difficulties of powerlessness and lack of knowledge. The young women of the novel experience life altering change and are told to sit, listen, and forget. The lure of power in the form of a mysterious book from a mysterious librarian proves to be a temptation with consequences beyond their understanding. The power of friendship, solidarity, and speaking up are bigger than the magic in this book. Excellent character development, descriptions, and a plot that pulses and pulls you along.

My new favourite Hendrix book!!! I am blown away and I don't even know what to say. A fabulous cast of characters! I loved every single bit of this book!

Thank you, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

Based on the title and cover of this book, you’d think this was a story about witches, right? I thought so too when I picked it up. It was marketed as horror, so I was expecting a dark and moody book about witches and witchcraft. That is not what this was at all.

In the summer of 1970, fifteen-year-old Fern is sent to the Wellwood Home in St. Augustine, Florida, a place where unwed pregnant girls are hidden away until they give birth and are forced to give up their babies. Under the strict eye of Miss Wellwood, Fern and the other girls have their lives controlled down to the smallest detail. Then she’s given an occult book that promises power, but power always comes at a price and it’s usually paid in blood.

I was really looking forward to this book because I thought it was a horror story about witches. But it turned out to be historical fiction about pregnant teenage girls who were forced into maternity homes. That was it. The whole book was just about pregnant teenage girls. Witchcraft and witches were in there, but they made up maybe 5% of the story. And even then, the witchcraft part doesn’t show up until halfway through the book, and it’s still not the main focus.

To say this was a huge disappointment would be a massive understatement. I wanted to put it down within the first chapter when I realized what the story was actually about. But I stuck with it, hoping it would get better but it just didn’t. The pacing was incredibly slow, and for most of the book, we just follow these very bland pregnant girls in the maternity home, going about their lives while waiting to give birth. There really wasn’t much horror, and the little bit that was there felt like an afterthought. It was mostly body horror related to pregnancy and childbirth.

The weird mix of historical fiction and horror didn’t do this story any favors. I feel like it would have worked better as straight historical fiction instead of trying to shove in witchcraft and horror. And that’s exactly what the witchcraft part felt like, forced in just to move the plot along.

Overall, this book was a huge disappointment. I went in expecting a dark and moody horror story about witches, but instead, I got slow-paced historical fiction about pregnant teenage girls with only a tiny hint of witchcraft. The horror elements felt forced, and the story dragged on without much payoff.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review

“𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘦𝘭. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘰”

This one was such a surprise for me! I’m a huge Grady Hendrix fan but this one just hit different. There was for sure some graphic parts which I always look for in a Hendrix book, but this book had SO much heart. I loved the female empowerment aspect and the underlying message.

I’ve seen a lot of reviews criticizing the main character and how she lacked growth and was unlikable but to me, this was one of the best parts of the story because it was so authentic! Of course a 15 year old girl isn’t going to be brave all the time and is going to make bad choices. I felt like the author gave us a glimpse into the past and what young women had to deal with and it was so heartbreaking.

Overall, read trigger warnings before diving in, but I highly recommend this one and it may just get a spot in my top reads of the year!

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐈𝐟…
✨you’re new to the horror genre
✨you don’t mind a slower read
✨you love a badass women moment

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was my first book by Hendrix. It's about Fern, a fifteen year old girl who is dropped off at a home for unwed mothers in 1970. Fern meets other girls in her situation and a librarian who gives her a book on witchcraft and away we go. I have to say that if this was pared down about 150 pages (it was 500 pages), I think I would've enjoyed it more. There were parts that were quite exciting and then big lulls where I was forcing my way through and got bored at times. I did enjoy seeing how the girls leaned on each other through their trials in the house. You know I don't love the magical stuff so some of the body horror was just a turn off for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is quite different than Grady Hendrix's previous novels. It made me feel so many emotions for these young girls in the 70s who had to hide their "indiscretions" by being shipped off to homes for "loose girls".
There were a few parts that slowed down and I found I was getting bored. And the flip flopping of the FMC kept annoying me. But I also understand that these characters are young girls, going through such traumatic situations with no knowledge of their conditions.
Truly a wild book that makes you think about what young girls may have experienced before there were options and education.

In 1970, Fern arrived at Wellwood House in St. Augustine, Florida. It is a home for wayward girls where pregnant girls are expected to have their babies in secret and give them up for adoption. Everything the girls do is monitored very closely from what they eat and when to check-ups, sleeping schedule, and when they will have their babies.

They are treated like pariahs with all autonomy removed and are expected to give their babies away and pretend like nothing ever happened. When Fern meets a librarian who gives her a book on witchcraft, everything is about to change. Now the girls try and rebel in the only way they can- with witchcraft.

Trigger Warnings

Statutory rape, rape, child abuse, gore

Why Jackie likes it

The witchcraft in this book is really secondary to the historical fiction part of this story. At times, it was difficult to read because the girls were so helpless. They had no control over any part of their lives. The witchcraft really is a metaphor for the lengths that these young women and girls went through to have control over their own lives. At times, the story was gory and in true Hendrix fashion, not for those who do not like horror.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! This book felt longer than most of the other books I’ve read by this author and is jam packed with details and characters! I love how he tool real life scenarios that used to actually happen 60+ years ago and added is some witchcraft and magic! I really felt for all the girls in the home, especially since they weren’t bad people, just shunned by society for things that are commonplace now. I would highly recommend if you like your fiction stemming from true events with some magic and horror touches!

I liked this, but I'll say straight away that it was at least 100 pages too long. That said, the author does do a good job creating the environment the story is set in- the miserable, oppressive heat, the simmering rage of the girls in a time period and circumstances that are forcing them to carry, deliver, and surrender their babies. Grady Hendrix's books have generally been solidly horror, but this one does more to capture this time in history than it does as a horror book (for the squeamish, the goriest bits of this are the descriptions of childbirth). It's enraging and saddening often, and I was moved by the ending.

Grady Hendrix seems to be the new IT author when it comes to modern horror. All his new releases generate a good buzz and there are plenty of reviewers that both love and love to hate his works. It has been more of a mixed bag for me. I loved My Best Friend's Exorcism, while I thought Southern Book Club's Guide was just okay. But I decided it was time to give one of his new releases a try while it was still new and let it be the "rubber game" so to speak, to see if Hendrix will become appointment reading for me. Upon completion of Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, I think I have my answer.

What this book does right is the slice of life moments and the bonding between the girls at the home. It feels like a perfect marriage of Mike Flanagan's Midnight Club and the 90's cult classic The Craft. I really enjoy watching their reluctant bonds grow into something beyond friendship and into a sisterhood, or dare I say a coven?

What this book did wrong for me was the actual plot. First, Fern is maybe the most boring of the characters introduced. When your lead protagonist is the one you're least interested in, it may have missed the mark. The more interesting characters leave the story way too early. But the big problem here is that the whole witchcraft thing? Yeah, it's mostly absent. This story deals more with making a blood oath and trying to go back on it to protect one of the other girls in the house. It's fine, but not the Black Magic Mojo story a title like this one would lead one to believe.

It seems that Hendrix's flavor of horror is to pick a social issue and take you back in time to see how it was in generations past. The three books of his I've read now have taken place in the 70s, 80s, and 90s and I appreciate that he can show readers how life was on these topics of that time period. Unfortunately, that gets tiresome to me and I want my horror to make me uncomfortable or full of dread and not simply reflecting on the real world. As always, this is something that is going to be subjective to the particular horror reader. So while I can see why Hendrix is so popular, I think I would file him under an author I like and will read again, but he's not going to be someone I anticipate new releases from and devour immediately.